'90210' introduces its cast and characters

Judging by the CW’s new 90210 promo (below), which introduces the cast and characters of this fall’s reboot, I’m guessing the show will please fans of the original more than the younger viewers who are its ostensible audience, since the whole thing has a squeaky-clean, sunny, turn-of-the-’90s vibe that recalls the old show’s earliest years more than it does the mercenary, jaded, up-to-the-minute sensibility of Gossip Girl. Yeah, I know, the actors tell us that every character has a secret; I think the secret is that they’re all clones of characters from old 90210 episodes and John Hughes movies. There’s the fish-out-of-water nice girl dipping her toes into the supposed shark pool of West Beverly, her even fishier brother, the Heather, the goofy jock, the boho chick, the media-savvy ethnic striver, the cool mom, and the cooler grandma — thank heavens for Jessica Walter. (Alas, no sign of Melrose Place alum Rob Estes, whose casting as the cool dad apparently occurred after this promo was shot, or returning West Beverly grad Jennie Garth.) So the show could be really dated or really fun, especially if we raise a glass in honor of the former Lucille Bluth and start thinking up 90210 drinking games now.